//------------------------------// // Earth and Sky // Story: Earth and Sky // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// When we got to hospital, I parked the cart in front of the double doors and four orderlies moved Mac to a rolling hospital bed. Nurse Redheart came out to talk to me as the orderlies wheeled Mac into the hospital. "Hello again Rainbow," she said with a smile, "it's nice to see you in the waiting room for once." "What can I say," I shrugged,"I don't like to come here unless I have to." But I'm outside, not in the waiting room. I guess she's referring to the idea of me not being injured. "So you felt you had to come here? To accompany Mr. Macintosh?" "Well, yeah." Pointless small talk! Why aren't you back there treating Mac? "I see, is that because you care about him? Or because you are responsible for his injuries?" "Um," I looked at the ground, " a little of both." What's with all the questions? "I see," she nodded, "well, both of you visit this hospital quite frequently. However, these last two times, you've been together, and this particular combination of injuries is something we see quite often." "What do you mean by combination?" And stop saying, "I see," everytime you talk. It's annoying. "Well, a Pegasus with a dislocated wing, and an earth pony with some sort of muscle strain. Coming in as a couple." "And? I don't get it. Two ponies, two injuries, what's the big deal?" Honestly, you're making less sense than you usually do. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. "I'm trying to put this delicately, but pegasi aren't as sturdy as earth ponies and earth ponies aren't as flexible as pegasi, so they sometimes have problems when-" "When what?" And why does she sound annoyed" "Eh?" She shook her head and muttered, "you can't be serious." "You're the one that's not making sense. What the hay are you-" She put her hoof down with a thud."I tried delicacy, so now I'll be blunt. Are the two of you trying to start a family?" "What?! No! Why does everypony think that's what we're doing?!" "Sorry dear, it's policy. We assumed your wing was a flying accident because of your track record and the minor surface injuries." "Good, because that's what it was." Why does everypony jump to these sort of conclusions?! "I see," you seriously need to stop saying that before I break my hoof off in your- "So what were you two doing when Mr.Macintosh threw his back out?" "We were just sleeping." So get your mind out of the gutter for ten seconds and maybe you could- "We?" "Yes." I just said that! What part of, "we were sleeping," wasn't in Equestrian? "Together?" "Yes." How many times are you going to make me repeat myself? It's annoying. And why are you staring at me like- "No!" Stupid trick question. "Not together, together, just together, ok?" I wanna go home. Nurse Redheart blinked twice. "Just start from the beginning dear." Gggggyyyyyyyaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!! I sat down with a heavy thump. "There was a haybale." I held up a hoof to indicate a haybale. Hopefully, a visual aid will help her understand this. "Go on." So far so good. I put my other hoof on one side of the, "hay-bale." "I was on one side," I moved my hoof to the other side, "he was on the other," I put my hoof on top of the other, "our heads were in the middle. We napped, we woke up, he couldn't move," I pointed to the hospital doors, "I dragged him here. End of story." Did you get all that, Nurse Numbskull? "All right, but you two do seem to be quite close." Seriously? You're not gonna let it go? Are you professionally trained in aggravating banter? "Will you be taking care of him as he recovers?" "Yes." He helped me, I can help him. "He may need care during the night." "So? I'll be there." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm staying at the farm, so I'll be nearby." So stop looking at me like that. "I'll give you some instructions and medicine before you leave." She turned around and headed for the hospital doors. "It should only be a few moments, he's just getting a shot of muscle relaxant." ***------------- A small poke in my back and the tight pain in my muscles started to fade. As soon as the doctor was sure that the treatment was successful, I was wheeled out of the hospital on the rolling bed. I'm glad they decided against the wheelchair this time. One hospital visit directed by Micheal Bray is enough for me. On a side note, I see that the oxygen tanks aren't stored in the individual rooms anymore. Once they got me out the doors, Rainbow ran up to the hospital bed. She must have gone shopping or something, because she had a small bag in her mouth. She tucked the bag under her good wing and gave me a smile. "Hey Mac, you feeling better?" "Eeyup." "Then let's get you home." "Thanks Rainbow." Rainbow went and brought the cart around and the orderlies moved me into it. After checking to make sure I was secure, Rainbow started to pull the cart back to the farm. It was dark by now, and the streetlights were on. I wanted to say something, to thank her for dragging my sorry flank back and forth, but words couldn't match up with what she was doing for me. I let my head droop over the side of the cart as I tried to think of something to say. Oh. That's what Pinkie meant. I turned away quickly, any attempt at words forgotten in my embarrassment and we spent the rest of the trip home in silence. When we got to the farm, Rainbow hitched the cart to a tree so I wouldn't roll away. "I'll be right back." She said, then she went and knocked on the house door. She waited for a few minutes for Granny to open the door, stick her head out and say, "this don't change nothin'." Granny then slammed the door shut. Then she called out from behind the door, "Ah stuck a mattress out dere fer ya, an' a pot a' tea, an' another pie, seein' as how the last one weren't good enough fer ya." Rainbow didn't even try to argue with her, she just shrugged and walked back to the cart. "Mac, how did she get a mattress to the barn?" "Ya know the rule about Pinkie?" She rolled her eyes. "Duh. Pinkie is pinkie. Don't try to understand it, and don't ask too many questions." "Same thing." She chuckled as she untied the knot holding the cart to the tree. "That actually makes a lot of sense, Mac." Rainbow dragged the cart into the barn. There were a couple of changes to the layout that were immediately apparent. A mattress was sitting near the window, and there was a small folding table sitting where the hay-bale had been. An apple pie, a teapot, and some sandwiches were arranged on top of it. The weirdest thing was the rabbit marching back and forth on top of a stack of hay-bales placed in the middle of the floor. He had a rolled up paper slung over his shoulder and a helmet atop his little head. When he saw us, he snapped to attention, gave a salute, and hopped off the haybales. Then he marched over to Rainbow and presented the paper with a flourish. Rainbow took the paper and unrolled it. She then read the paper, nodding here and there as she did so. When she finished reading, she rolled the paper up and gave it back to the bunny. "Hey, Mac, guess what?" Rainbow pulled the cart over to the mattress with a smile. I didn't guess because I know she's about to tell me anyway. "The mystery known as Granny Smith just became a little less mysterious." She ducked under the carts push bar and poked her head over the side of the cart. "Pete and Fluttershy came by after we left for the hospital." She gestured around the room. "They set all this up. Now, let's get you on to the bed. I need to go talk to Fluttershy." She started helping me down, but the moment I tried to support my own weight, I collapsed. I landed on top of Rainbow, but I caught most of my weight on my front hooves. My back legs don't seem to be working right. "Sorry, Rainbow, I-" She was staring up at me. "I didn't mean to-" Her mouth is hanging open, just slightly. "I, uh-" I swallowed loudly. "I-" She's breathing heavy. I can feel her heartbeat against my chest and I'm starting to notice just how fast my own heart is going. She's so beautiful. Her wide eyes stared back at mine as I started to lean down towards her. She started to close her eyes as she started to lean up towards me, closer and closer, until- "FWAPPP!!" I became aware of a stinging sensation in my face before anything else. Then I noticed a light, repetitive tapping sound. Looking towards its source, I found a beady pair of eyes and a scowl that could could put an angry griffyn to shame. The angry bunny adjusted his helmet and meaningfully smacked his paper roll against his open paw. "Go on, shoo!" I didn't really expect that to work, but I had to try. The bunny rolled his eyes and pointed his paper roll at Rainbow. Then he swung it around to point at the door before hopping out of the barn. "Hey, Mac?" I looked down at Rainbow. She was blushing furiously and looking away from me. "I, uh, should probably head to Fluttershy's now. Um, Angel isn't known for patience and I probably shouldn't keep him waiting." I nodded and pushed myself off to the side so Rainbow could get up. She got up with a nervous chuckle and brought over a sandwich and a glass of tea. She was still blushing as she set them next to the matress, but she was also smiling and trying to hide it. "I'll be back soon, I'm just gonna walk over to Fluttershy's." She grabbed a sandwich and headed for the door. Before she made it out, I called out to her. "Hey, Rainbow?" She turned around with the sandwich still stuck in her mouth. "Maybe later?" I asked with a shrug. Whatever just happened, it was nice while it lasted. Apparently, Rainbow thought so too, because, despite her bright crimson blush, she nodded before slipping out of the barn door. I did my best to get comfortable and started eating my sandwich. While I ate, I noticed something on the floor near the mattress. Rainbow dropped her shopping bag. I wonder what she bought. I washed down the sandwich with the tea and dragged myself over to pick up the bag. Looked through it, I found some medicine and instructions from the hospital. She must have put those in the bag for easy carrying. There was also a book. This must be what she bought. I took it out of the bag. It was a brown and blue book titled Earth and Sky. There were two silhouettes on the cover, an earth pony and a pegasus. Underneath the silhouettes were small gold letters,"How not to hurt the pony you love." Yeah, I can take a hint. When she bought this, she was probably still sore about what I said earlier. She probably doesn't know she dropped it, I'll surprise her by reading it before she gets back. Chapter 1: Pleasure and Pain Nothing can cause more pain than hurting or being hurt by those you care about. Nopony wants to hurt the one they love, but it can be difficult to know what can cause a loved one pain. This book is designed to help both pegasi and earth ponies avoid unnecessary pain and accidents...